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Things to Remember About Ayutthaya

Ayutthaya is worth remembering, it really is. I have good memories of this old city of Thailand. I have two friends from Bangkok who show me around and explore its historic ruins, its history, and how it looks at the present time.

Ayutthaya is located approximately 80 kilometres north of Bangkok. History tells us that Ayutthaya was the Thai capital for more than 400 years. During this period, Thai Culture flourished, and Ayutthaya became a centre for international commerce.

The present day city is located at the confluence of the Chao Phraya, Pa Sak and Lopburi rivers. A canal joins them and encircles the town.

To me, Ayutthaya is a relatively low-key site. It is quiet and I feel I can spend all day relaxing while enjoying the history of what this ancient site is all about. A whole day going around the city is just worth it.

Kwan and Denchai, are beautiful people in and out. This young couple are God send. Few minutes of exchanging ideas in the lobby of Umeda Building in Osaka Japan is long enough to understand each other and be a long time friends as what we are now. Right there and then, they invited us to give them a call when we are in Bangkok. It is a coincidence that Thailand is in our itinerary and the last leg of our five-Asian journey. We literally painted the town red, both in Bangkok and Ayutthaya.

Although we did not use public transport in exploring Bangkok and Ayutthaya, I want to make sure you read the information below to help you in going around conveniently in these two beautiful cities. You will see below public and private transport direction between Bangkok and Ayutthaya.

By Bus

There are direct air-conditioned buses that leaves Bangkok every half an hour from the Northern bus terminal on Phaholyothin Road
starting 5:30 am until 7:20 pm. Call this telephone to confirm: (Tel. 537-8055-6)

There are regular or non air-conditioned buses that leaves for Bang
Pa-In, Bang Sai, and Ayutthaya many times daily from 5:30 am-7:20 pm. The number to call to confirm this information (Tel. 272-5761-5 ext. 117)

By Car

Take Highway No. 1 (Phahonyothin Road.) then take Highway No. 32 to
Ayutthaya.

If you are staying in Ayutthaya for a couple of days and you have the time to explore the neighbouring places, you may plan your trip based on the following information. Notice that District is the English for Amphoe. Distances from Ayutthaya are enumerated below for your convenience.

Amphoe Bang Ban 10 kms.

Amphoe Bang Pa Han 13 kms.

Amphoe U-Thai 15 kms.

Amphoe Bang Pa-In 17 kms.

Amphoe Wang Noi 20 kms.

Amphoe Sena 20 kms.

Amphoe Nakhon Luang 20 kms.

Amphoe Maharat 25 kms.

Amphoe Phak Hai 29 kms.

Amphoe Bang Sai 34 kms.

Amphoe Pha Chi 35 kms.

Amphoe Ban Sai 45 kms.

Amphoe Ban Phraek 53 kms.

Amphoe Tha Rua 60 kms.

Amphoe Lat Bua Luang 65 kms.

If you think you can stay a couple more days, going to the neighbouring provinces is recommended. The following distances can be used to make your plan for this particular journey. Notice the distances in kilometres are from Ayutthaya:

Ang Thong 31 kms.

Suphanburi 53 kms.

Saraburi 63 kms.

Bangkok: 76 kms.

Ayutthaya Sights

The main historical sights lie in the northwest corner of the island.
These sights can easily be explored on foot or, better, bicycle. A
number of other very interesting sights can be found on the banks of the
rivers opposite to the city, but these are much more spread out. You
may need to rent a motorcycle or samlor to explore these.

In addition to the ruins listed here, the inner city is also home to two or three museums worth a visit.

Closer to the current city centre, Wat Ratburana was built in 1424
to hold the ashes of the king's two older brothers, who killed each
other fighting over the throne. It is on the street across from the Wat Mahathat

The temple was built in the early days of Ayutthaya in the late 14th
century by King Borommaracha I. The story goes that the king had a
revelation, and relics of the Buddha then suddenly appeared. The temple
was built to house the relics.

To the north, west and south of the island are several temples dating
from the city's golden age, or even before. The remains of the
Portuguese and Japanese communities are also just south of the island,
on opposite sides of the Chao Phraya River.

On the south side of Ayutthaya, right where the Chao Phraya and
Pasak rivers join, is one of Ayutthaya's oldest temples, and one of
its most lively to this day. The huge Buddha image around which the
temple was built was cast in 1324.

Almost due south of the old town, on the south bank of the
Chao Phraya River, is the very old temple of Wat Phutthaisawan. With its
freshly whitewashed classically styled prang, the temple is easy to
overlook. Most guidebooks do, but don't you make that mistake. The
temple, with its skewed architecture, is quite interesting.

I
am glad I had the chance to share the above information to you my
fellow travellers. There are a lot more to write about Ayutthaya, the
ruins, the people, and the food that is truly an amazing experience. I
leave it up to you to pick what you need that is good for a 3-day stay in this
ancient city.

Happy travels!

From the desk of:

Freddie Miranda

A blogger and a Canada-based freelance writer. He shares the value of his travel experiences and discoveries with his friends and fellow travellers. Share your passion, join and visit him. Send a message @ fromatravellersdesk(at)gmail(dot)com.

I am posting more photos that I took during my stay in Ayutthaya. Enjoy!